Lac Nokoue
Lac Nokoue
4.5
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4.5
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gKiarag
Lugano, Switzerland1,869 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
A visit to Ganvié is absolutely worth it. I only toured southern Benin, but there is no doubt that it is the place that struck me the most. You can only get to the lakeside village by boat. The houses, shops and school etc are all on stilts. The floating market on boats. Where there is soil, they created it to teach children to walk. A unique and fascinating experience.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Schhel
Kigali, Rwanda191 contributions
Aug 2023 • Business
I went there for work and has no expectation. Hence I was very surprised by how nice and vibrant the place was. So much to see between floating markets, houses, fishing areas, etc. They even have some hotels and small gift shops with locally made stuff (good way to support the local community). Great day out
Written 28 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NamasteHello
Harrogate, UK1,813 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
The great thing about travel is that you see such different ways of life. This is an interesting lifestyle and yes, in answer, to the Singaporan this is a giant sewer. It's how some people live and far more interesting than the over clean Singapore. It's not the locals who are rude. We as tourists intrude on their life. We do not have a good given right to poke our cameras in everyone's faces. We have to respect their culture. How would you like someone In your front room taking your picture!
Written 19 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SaiRamNilgiri
Singapore, Singapore13 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
11JAN18. I have travelled all over the world and this review is really for English speaking solo travellers. BTW i speak French and it was still a challenge. I found a co-traveller and we went from our hotel to Etoile by taxi-moto (pillion rider on a motorbike). Pay no more than CFA500. We only paid 300CFA. At Etoile find a share taxi to Calavi (pay only 500CFA) to the point near Ganvié. Taxi motos will be waiting to grab u. Tell them no need and it is a 5min walk to the entry point. Again u will have sharks waiting to grab u. We paid 4500CFA as we were two. There's a board with the rates. Buy the ticket in the office. Having read previous reviews, we decided we did not need a guide. The place stinks and people are unfriendly. Dont try taking photos as they get aggressive. I had to tell one cow on the canoe (pirogue in french) that i was not photographing her but the scenary. The boat guy was a diffentently challenged with a leg deformity. I thought - "great that he has employment and my heart strings were being pulled. He took us to the entrance to the stilt village to a cafe/souvenir shop and said if we wanted to go further, we had to get another pirogue. The entrance is called Marché collectif where women sell vegetables etc from the boats. We told him that the price we paid was to do the "citrcuit de village". He refused and said he was tired and did not want to row back. He would put us on a collective boat which the people of the village take to reach land. When you are out in the boons, there are no officers there to complain. U just have to get back to the port entry. We did and I went straight to the office to complain. I threatened them that i will be putting this on the internet for other travellers and they panicked. They shouted at the boat guy and asked us to write a complaint. This is africa and i was not going to waste any more time as we lost 2 hours already.
I suggest that you try and join a group of tourists on a motor boat. Or go as a package tour. If u still do the pirogue, ensure that the circuit is to the interiors of the village and not just the entrance.I can understand the local frustration as the government takes the CFA4500. We could not figure out how the boat guy got paid. After travelling to Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin, this was the first place where u get stares from the locals and no "bonjour". One has to wonder where the human refuse is saved or is it just one big sewer?
If u want to see a really nice stilt village, go to Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei. U can walk along the houses on paths on stilts. This is my personal experience and facts. You can decide. BTW I'm a brown skin and so not white enough to be taken for a ride.
I suggest that you try and join a group of tourists on a motor boat. Or go as a package tour. If u still do the pirogue, ensure that the circuit is to the interiors of the village and not just the entrance.I can understand the local frustration as the government takes the CFA4500. We could not figure out how the boat guy got paid. After travelling to Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin, this was the first place where u get stares from the locals and no "bonjour". One has to wonder where the human refuse is saved or is it just one big sewer?
If u want to see a really nice stilt village, go to Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei. U can walk along the houses on paths on stilts. This is my personal experience and facts. You can decide. BTW I'm a brown skin and so not white enough to be taken for a ride.
Written 12 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
trainfan2000
Hamilton, Canada2,548 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
This is a fascinating trip to take if you can. You travel by a wooden flat bottomed boat out the village that rests on stilts in the lake. On the way out you see fishermen, people "commuting" to the mainland, and some wildlife. Once at the village you can see that most of the buildings rest on stilts over the water. There are a couple of structures on dry land, but these are not numerous. There is a small shop and nightclub that we stopped at and they have some good handicraft items. It is quite amazing to see how the town functions on water. It is sort of a very primitive form of Venice (although nowhere near as beautiful - we are seeing wooden huts here). The city arose when people moved away from the coast to escape slavers and it continues to be inhabited into the 21st century.
Written 8 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
francwon
Astoria, NY83 contributions
Sept 2018
Ganvie is a lake village in Benin, Africa lying in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou. With a population of around 20,000 people, it is probably the largest lake village in Africa. The locals aren't fond of photos. I traveled solo and was able to negotiate a fair price with one of the boat operators.
Written 11 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin S
Pontypridd, UK7,059 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
I always feel a little guilty observing peoples normal everyday lives as a tourist attraction but if that helps the local economy then that must be good? The trouble here with the locals not really being smiley or welcoming is that perhaps they do not benefit from tourism and so resent being photographed. Anyway, it is very picturesque and a great insight into a different way of living. And normal and everyday it is, from first light people were using the waterway as other people use roads and from our hotel dining area we could see people were rowing boats, selling goods, chatting to neighbours.................
Written 27 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samuel Kwashie A
Tema, Ghana40 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
Very beautiful and interesting l Samuel Kwashie Ametewee a Ghanaian tour guide and a tour driver guide you can rely on to take you round and you will love it and enjoy it.
Written 7 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo_Aberdeen_UK
Aberdeen, UK586 contributions
Nov 2018
The stilt village was not really what I expected. Interesting although its a bit run down. Felt a bit unwelcome as the people living there were not very friendly and it’s clear that people do not like to be photographed, although that’s understandable. Not as picturesque as I expected. An hour visit is enough.
Written 10 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anago O
114 contributions
Jun 2018 • Business
This town on the water has a lot of history to share so do not just look for a boat, get a guide who will answer your questions correctly.
As a tour guide and operator, when ever I bring tourists on this trip, I like to talk about the neatness of the people.
Questions will unfold on your mind as you experience nature and culture.
As a tour guide and operator, when ever I bring tourists on this trip, I like to talk about the neatness of the people.
Questions will unfold on your mind as you experience nature and culture.
Written 10 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you feel Benin as a safe country and with Easy access to travel to and from?
Written 8 October 2019
HI can you tell me the name of the hotel you stayed at on the lake Nokoue as you mentioned you could watch boats from your dining area? I would like to spend some time getting to know the lake people and photograph their daily lives. Any suggestions? thanks for your help
Written 3 September 2019
HI I have done hours of research trying to find a way to make a reservation or even know how much the Chez M costs? But its nowhere. Do you have a contact for them? Thanks so much, Jackie
Written 24 September 2019
Bonjour
Nous partons la semaine prochaine pour Cotonou à 4 avec 2 enfants. Comment vous êtes vous rendu jusqu'au lac et est ce que vous avez pris un guide une fois sur place ?
Merci
Written 18 July 2018
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